


Invictus

by Divinion, xMissFortune



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure, Alternative Timeline, Angst, Bromance, Bromance to Romance, Drama, Feels, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Gratsu - Freeform, M/M, RP turned story, Slow Burn, So much angst, Suspense, background OCs - Freeform, post GMG
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-09
Updated: 2019-04-19
Packaged: 2020-01-07 11:10:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18409430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Divinion/pseuds/Divinion, https://archiveofourown.org/users/xMissFortune/pseuds/xMissFortune
Summary: When belief is not enough, the first whisper of the future sent them down another path. Natsu was never good at keeping secrets, not when they coated Gray's hands in red. [post GMG alternative timeline]





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So to start off, I would like to say that this was never intended to be a carefully constructed story. This started out as an RP between my wonedrful friend, Divinion, and I with no clear goal but ended up having a lot of potential we'd both hate to see go to waste. Working together on editing this... ended up with mixed results. So with her permission and blessing, I'll be posting the first two chapters we both edited that can be found on her FF account
> 
> https://www.fanfiction.net/u/8073430/Divinion

> 
> All the later ones will be solely edited by me, and even so the credit for all this fan-content is equally shared :)

##  **The Unlikely Team **

 

When Natsu, seemingly out of nowhere, slammed his fist in front of Gray, most present at the guild suspected a fight to follow. After all, it always did. It was one of the norms in Fairy Tail, as predictable as the sun rising in the east and setting in the west. Hence, no one expected the Dragon Slayer to actually push a guild mission in front of his rival and demand he join him.

No one, least of all Gray, knew how to react to this.

But Natsu had that look in his eyes. That one of pure defiance and arrogance. The kind that was very punch-worthy in Gray’s opinion. It was also one that was very difficult to say no to.

Acceptance was inevitable.

With the female half of their team away on photo-shoots, Cana plotted a betting pool with high stakes against their survival. Mira squealed in joy and kept muttering incoherently about _Strongest Team Bonding_. Makarov started to tear up and write apologies in advance, saying goodbye to the guild’s hard-earned prize money so soon after their victory at the Grand Magic Games. A good half of the members laughed and the other half tried to pinch themselves awake.

None of this stopped the unlikely team. They went ahead in search of glory, rewards and a stronger friendship. But above all else-!

For Natsu to finally prove to Gray and everyone else that without a doubt, _he_ was the strongest. 

"You've got the mission, right?" Natsu asked as he walked blindly forward, hands behind his head. He was more than a little unwilling to admit that he hadn't paid much attention to the paper other than seeing some monster and the cash figure.

Hands in pockets, Gray trailed after the Salamander with a face that could only be described as bored disdain.

"Yeah, yeah, right here," he pulled the paper out, scanning the details with a little scrutiny. "You'd think they'd get a better shot of this thing considering its size."

The outline of the monster that terrorised the nearby towns barely showed any distinctive features that they could recognise it by, except for its size and human-ish shape. There were dates and sighting details, but not much to go on.

Gray could already feel a twinge of annoyance at the dumbass walking so casually in front of him. ‘ _Bastard probably didn't read shit when he picked it out,’_ the Ice Maker thought to himself bitterly. ‘ _Because, fuck it, it's Natsu, and that already means he's most likely just going to charge in and punch the first thing or person he thinks looks similar to the picture._ ’ The paper crinkled under the pressure of his fingers and the ice-mage decided to put it away should he accidentally rip it. The faster they did this, the faster he could not catch 'stupid' and go home.

As the Ice Maker muttered about the mission at hand, Natsu opened one eye to peer down at the request. He had to admit the Ice Block was right – not that he would say it. The shot was truly awful, but luckily the Dragon Slayer didn't pay much attention to the detail. Happy or Gray would be able to point them in the right directions, towards whatever needed to be beaten up. That was where Natsu’s strength lay. If the stripper was going to accompany him, he might as well have his uses.

"Okay," Gray sighed in resignation, widening his step to match Natsu's pace, "The last place it's been spotted was a farming town north of this place called Mirfield. We should check the train-schedule to see what line passes near there."

Natsu suddenly stopped short.

“T-Train?" he stammered. The very thought made him nauseous. Uncovering his second origin had somehow unlocked a completely new level of travel-sickness. He still had horrific flashbacks of the long carriage journey back from Crocus. The mission hadn't said anything about a train journey! Only now did he finally notice just where the Ice Maker had been leading him, staring up at the huge train station in disbelief.

He blinked, his dismay gone just as quickly as it appeared as he replaced his anguish with a hopeful grin. "That's OK! We'll just walk, right Happy?!" he announced, looking back at the feline.

"Aye!" his cheerful blue companion agreed.

"Pfft, we're not walking there," Gray scoffed, not stopping in his stride as he began to take the first steps into the huge white building. "Well, I ain't in any case."

Natsu’s jaw just hung open.

The ice mage glanced up and down the train-schedule, finding the line he was looking for. "Looks like it's a two-hour ride there," he mumbled, just loud enough for Natsu to hear over the background chatter, bracing himself for the inevitable counter-argument. This very same situation had happened way too often. He prayed for strength to accept things he could not change. For the briefest moment, he really wished Erza was here. No one questioned Erza's decisions.

Natsu twitched. Maths was one of a long, long list of skills which the Dragon Slayer simply didn't have and he had absolutely no idea how long two hours' worth of train journey equated to by foot, or even if it was possible. He just knew that two hours being trapped inside a moving magical box would be a hell that he could not endure, not after the long weeks of fighting and travelling.

He twitched again.

"C'mon, flamebrain," Gray started walking to the ticket-booth and gave Natsu a push, "Suck it up and let's go."

"Who put you in charge, Ice Block?!" he yelled as he spun around to glare at him, not caring if the general crowds were alerted to his shouting. He could feel heat growing around him as his emotions already ran out of control, an animalistic growl crossed his face. "This is my mission, Princess, and I say we walk!"

He stomped his foot against the ground and stared down his rival. Natsu had no doubt that Gray was going to take pleasure from every last moment he struggled with his sickness. He wouldn’t care - and why would he? He wasn’t about the endure two hours of vomiting and pain.

"Listen here charcoal-shit," Gray said slowly at first, the vein on his forehead pulsing while his words picked up speed as they went. Somehow, only this _moron_ had the uncanny ability to make him lose his patience without much effort. "I'm NOT wasting daylight ‘cause _you_ chose to be a dumbass and not even bothered to read where we're going, so zip it! We're taking the train and-!"

Suddenly, the ice mage was all too aware of the multiple eyes lingering on them. Most of which were intrusive with curious criticism, and the other half, the ones who worked there and had seen this one too many times, slowly backed away. Gray wasn’t sure if the heat he felt under his skin was anger or embarrassment. Was this how mothers felt when their kids started throwing fits in the middle of a street?

“ _I’m_ a dumbass?! You’re the one who-”

"Nope. Fuck it. I'm not doing this," Gray said with a sudden jerk of his head and leveled Natsu with a flat stare. "You wanna walk?" he gestured with his hand and slowly, almost casually, walked past him. "Go ahead. Waste, potentially, five hours getting there, and when you _do_ get there, you can make your own contribution to the mission."

He stopped for a brief moment, smirking back over his shoulder, "You know, carrying the wad of jewels _I_ get from defeating the monster _single-handedly?_ "

Natsu was less than impressed. They hadn't even left Magnolia and already he had lost all patience with the Ice Block. Mostly because he was right.

He met Gray's dead glare with one of his own. Heat twisted through his skin and it took every ounce of strength not to indulge the urge to punch him in the face. They were _supposed to_ be working together, they were _supposed to_ be a team - but then again, that hadn't stopped him from hitting his companion before and it quite possibly wouldn't stop him now.

There really should have been nothing different with this mission to any other, just the lack of girls.

The train whistle distracted the Dragon Slayer long enough for him to break his glare.

He folded his arms across his chest, reminding himself that if they fought here then the civilians around wouldn't be able to protect themselves. "When we get there I am so kicking your ass, Ice Princess. You can carry _my_ bag of money after I kick that monster’s ass with one hit," he challenged, falling in line and reluctantly handing over money for his two-hour torture session.

 ~~ (O) ~~

Getting the tickets and finding their seats went way faster than Gray honestly imagined. Goading the slayer into the train had been a gratifying experience in its own right, but he had a sneaking suspicion he'd be swallowing his words within the next two hours. Until then, he'd just settle in his seat and take the glares the Salamander was throwing his way.

With the first jerk of the engine, Natsu felt his stomach twist and flip awkwardly. Knowing that he was going to endure two hours from hell only made Natsu’s senses even more heightened. Feeling every single shudder through the metallic case, he fell face first into the chair beside him, blubbering away incoherently about revenge.

Gray didn't feel guilty. He _didn’t_.

They had done this a hundred times before, and another hundred before that. This time shouldn't have been any different. He kept his eyes plastered to the scenery outside, away from the winces and other pitiful expressions he was sure the pink-head was starting to make.

It took too long for the train to gain speed and for the inside of their window-frame to fill up with fields and trees instead of people waving goodbye to someone. The image of a too-old and too-familiar face flashed in Gray’s mind. His grip on his bicep tightened slightly.

He still wasn’t all there since the games.

Eventually the mage sighed and looked over to check on Natsu's state and Happy. "How are you holding up?"

‘ _Badly._ ’ Natsu couldn’t bring himself to speak the word out loud. Nor did he even have the energy to even _think_ of the thousand insults he wanted to throw. He barely managed to raise his shaking hand, tightening it into an angered fist just as the train took another juddering shift that made him collapse back into his seat.

"He'll be fine!" Happy announced proudly, if a little embarrassed by his travelling companion. Sometimes it was a little fun to watch him suffer, but the amusement usually passed quickly - especially when there was so little to occupy him. Gray was being even more broody than he usually was and this hadn't escaped the Exceed's notice. "It's a shame that Erza isn't here," he sighed to himself, tail falling between his legs as he sat down. "At least she could knock him out…"

"Traitor…" Natsu managed to mumble before disappearing back into his semi-lucid haze.

Gray hummed to himself, trying not stare too much at the too wide eyes. Ahh, there it was. Guilt jabbing away at him relentlessly. He couldn't help the soft spot he held for the little Exceed. ‘ _Damn it all.’_

"Scoot over," he told him with a light shake of his head and took the place between the two. He raised a pointed brow at the slayer. "You still with us, flame-brain?"

All he got as an answer was a particularly pain-filled groan when the carriage jolted.

"Right... Try not to puke on me or I'll kick your ass." With a resigned sigh, he concentrated magic to the palm of his hand, cooling it, and pressed it to the back of Natsu's neck. Hopefully, this would help the guy. He was no Erza; punching him would just result in Natsu punching him back harder.

The gravelling groan turned into a softer murmur. Natsu’s frown burrowed deeper for a moment, instinctively wanting to push away from the colder element. Eventually, however, his facial features relaxed. His whimpering became less frequent, conveniently forgetting who was offering aid.

"He'll be fine," Gray said reassuringly as he turned back to Happy, gently scratching the back his head. "You know he's tougher than a train ride."

As Natsu's nauseous noises got quieter, it became clear to the Exceed that he was sleeping off the worst of his journey while he could. It probably wouldn't end well regardless; Happy remembered the last time he'd fallen asleep on the train and promptly thrown up upon opening his eyes. It would at least keep him from suffering for a little while longer.

Happy smiled up at the Ice Maker thankfully as he could feel the pleasant cooling air escape into the carriage. The Exceed’s fur bristled, looking between the two. "You'd have thought he was used to it by now," he said, tilting his head to the side and pawed back over to the side of his caretaker, gently listening for any changes in his breathing while placing himself by his side.

"Thanks for coming with us, Gray," Happy said unexpectedly, tail flicking from side to side. "I know Natsu's thankful too."

"Don't worry about it," Gray replied flatly, before pointing his attention elsewhere. He was pretty sure that a ‘thanks’ was the last thing on the Dragon Slayer’s mind after he made him board the train.

Happy watched as the mage glanced out of the window, trying to decide whether he was doing his broody staring-into-nothing thing or the slightly less broody wishing away the time while on the train. He was reminded of how the Ice Maker suddenly turned all too quiet and distant on the journey back to from Crocus, after the gala for the Grand Magic Games.

That had been the last time their team had been together. It was clear to see that his Dragon Slayer had been bothered by the passiveness of his teammates, if he was even ready to consider to go on a mission with his biggest rival.

Happy couldn’t help but wonder if there was more than one trigger for the unlikely team-up.

 ~~ (O) ~~

Time seemed to move agonisingly slow inside the cabin, uncaring of their impatience and troubles.

The train lurched forwards as it began to race on older, more unstable tracks, throwing the Dragon Slayer awake with the sudden shudder. He fell onto the floor, desperately trying to crawl away from what was causing him pain, but quickly realising that it was the very ground he was standing on.

With a glance out the window, just a curve of the tracks away, a small town could be seen. "Finally," Gray cracked his neck, "We're almost there Happy.”

Happy grinned, looking up at Gray expectantly as the train eventually pulled into the station. He put his paws on Natsu's back and lifted him from the ground, just enough to take him from the dreaded train ride.

Even on solid ground, Natsu looked worse for wear.

The station itself wasn't particularly big. It was barely more than a slightly run down platform, nothing like the one in Magnolia which was vast and well-kept. The only attraction to greet them here was a faded out sign that said _'Welcome to Mirfield'_ just overhead of the entrance. Although there was little in the way of luxuries, a waiting bench was found not far off, and the Exceed carried off the dazed Dragon Slayer. It was in their best interest to wait for Natsu to get his head on straight again.

Soon enough, the Dragon Slayer started showing signs of life once again.

The midday sun was a welcome change even as it blinded him. He just sat and listened with growing appreciation the train's whistles and churning that grew further and further away. It was a wonderful sound. He blinked, realising that the air was fresher and the land was blissfully stable under his feet. The worst was over.

As his stomach began to calm, he looked around, eyes glancing to the faded sign that he could barely read. Reading wasn't easy for him at the best of times, but the skewed symbols and disrepair made it even more difficult. He tilted his head to the side, "Who the hell would want to live in a dump like Mudfield?" he asked.

Gray shook his head, letting out something between a snort and laugh. "And here I was doubting your reading abilities."

There was a soft and polite sound of a man clearing his throat. “It’s _Mir_ field actually,” said a voice almost hesitantly.

Two locals stood just on the outer rim of the platform, looking at one another awkwardly, and unwilling to step forwards to greet the wizards that had responded to their request.

Gray glanced over to the pair, a small and nervous plump man and a scrawny stoic tall one, and took in their appearances; the fine clothes, cuffed tunics and pristine leather shoes. Definitely the town's representatives, or at least somewhere within that hierarchy. Schooling his face, the mage made his first steps towards them, much to their unexpected discomfort. "Good afternoon, we're mages from Fairy Tail. We're here in reply to your, um, monster problem?”

"Monster prrroblem," the smaller one huffed with his mousy mustache, accenting his ' _r_ '. "Is about right... We've been expecting you, Mr. errr-"

"Gray Fullbuster. Gray, is just fine," he said shaking both of their hands and not really getting why they were looking at him weirdly. He was all too glad to divert their attention elsewhere, "And those are my teammates, Natsu and Happy."

Forcing himself to throw away the last of his nausea and focus on the exciting task ahead, Natsu pushed himself between the stripper and the two representatives, pointing to himself proudly. "He means he's _our_ teammate!" he announced, ready as ever to show Gray exactly who was the strongest.

"Aye!" Happy confirmed, flying up and fist-pumping the air.

Gray's eye twitched.  

The taller stranger adjusted his monocle, not sure exactly where he was supposed to be adjusting his gaze to but certain that it probably shouldn't be towards the topless wizard. The benefit of the mage being shirtless did at least mean that they could both see the guild marks clearly on both men.

"Fairy Tail? I see! I believe that you were in the Grand Magical Games, no? I can't say I paid much attention, but my daughter, Kathy, was hooked. Although, if I remember correctly, a little disappointed that Sabretooth-Ah," the plump short man quickly caught himself short, remembering his present company.

"In any case-” the smaller man quickly corrected his rambling with a small cough. “My name is Devin Flores the IV, descended from the Flores linage, the very founders of this town, and its current mayor by right. And this, is my Head of Affairs," he gestured to the man beside him.

The taller man bowed his head quite low, a thin smile stretching his lips. "My name is Calahan Ava. My family has been serving the Flores for seventeen-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Natsu said impatiently. He had only just recovered from the crippling tiredness of his journey and he was not yet prepared to be bored to sleep by a couple of rambling old men. "You said that there was this monster, right? Where do we find it so we can beat it up?" he questioned.

There was a moment of silence as the two men exchanged a look.

"I'm afraid that there might be some misunderstanding…" the tall man said, clearing his throat and looking between the two wizards. "We don't know _where_ the monster currently is, as no one has seen her for a few weeks now.”

The ice-mage frowned; this was where the missing mission details posed a challenge. "You haven’t?”

The Head of Affairs sighed and looked back at the mayor who adjusted his collar and straightened up. "Well, we don't know much of this particular monster,” Devin said taking over, “But once a year, they travel from North to South via the Graya canyon, which mind you me, is a fair distance from our little town here. But-”

"Wait,” Natsu interrupted, folding his arms across his chest and already feeling disappointed, concerned over the honour of the guild above all else. “You want us to beat something up for just taking its natural path?"

The man’s mustache bristled as he quickly became flustered. "Oh, it isn't like that! The entire pack moves down the Graya Canyon they are quite harmless. This particular menace, however, had taken the wrong turn and stayed behind! We've done everything we can to try and steer her back almost five years now with no success!"

''Huh, so it essentially strayed from the flock and settled down in the wrong place?" Natsu tilted his head slightly to the side.

Gray nodded to himself, already planning how the problem could be potentially solved. "Does it always take the same path? Or does it just appear anywhere from the general North area?"

Devin looked at Gray, "I'm afraid that we don't know that much, only that it stalks between the river and the Northern mountains."

Natsu's eyes grew wide, looking at the strangers in disbelief. "That's miles!" he exclaimed, staggered by the completely lack of helpful information.

Gray’s eyes narrowed at the two. "And is there a particular reason you failed to mention any of this in the job description?"

Devin glanced towards his companion who seemed pretty unfazed by the question, the first signs of worry (or was it guilt?) framed his face. He sputtered for a moment with a clumsy smile and innocent hand gestures. "A m-minor mistake on our part. We- we were in a hurry you see, since we’ve been so busy with the repairs and, well, our administration-" he jabbered away, one excuse after the other, none of which were of particular interest to the Fairy Tail mages.

Gray’s eyes moved from mayor to his companion Calahan, he couldn't help but notice how his face hardened into a particular expression. One of impatience and frustration.

The ice mage couldn’t help but think that they were missing something more important than just the basic mission info.

A vacant and shabby train station, void of people and looking one puff of wind away from collapsing in on itself? The reward money that was higher than it should have been for a simple monster hunt? The well dressed mayor and his associate rambling about the degrade in economy and all of those pretty academic words politicians loved to throw around?

"-surely it should be no trouble for Fiore's strongest-"

"Keep your flatteries Mr. Devin," the Ice-Make wizard curtly cut him off. He had heard enough. He spared a glance in Natsu's direction, giving him a look he was pretty sure the Salamander would understand. "We've already taken the job."

Natsu returned the look with his own fierce one. Fairy Tail didn't back down. They'd figure this out one way or the other.

Rare were the moments where the two Fairy Tail boys seemed to have the exact same wavelength. The kind that truly made them part of 'Fairy Tail's Strongest Team'. They had taken this mission in the name of their guild and failure was not an option.

The expressions’ of the two locals changed with the mages’ words. Pleased and hopeful at the prospect of having their problem taken care off regardless of the lack of details.

"We have given you all the information that we have," the mayor informed them, trying to regain some of his composure. "We can arrange for an escort to take you to the last place the monster was sighted."

"No need. If we know its direction then I can track it down," Natsu said confidently, a grin crossing his face to match, despite the fact that he had absolutely no idea what this kind of monster was supposed to smell like. No, Natsu was confident.  

Defiantly confident.


	2. What goes up...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When belief is not enough, the first whisper of the future sent them down another path. Natsu was never good at keeping secrets, not when they coated Gray's hands in red. [post GMG alternative timeline, slowburn Gratsu]

Natsu was definitely, one hundred percent, absolutely without a doubt not lost.

He just happened to be taking his time, that was all.

"Natsu~~" Happy whined, flying behind him with his tail hanging low and letting his wings take his entire weight. "We've passed that tree three times…"

"No we haven't!" Natsu grumbled back, folding his arms across his chest as he stubbornly kept walking forwards, ignoring the growing shadows and the setting sun in the background. "Why don't you fly up again and see how much further we've got?"

The Exceed sighed. His wings were already exhausted, but despite his limited magical energy draining he let out an "Aye…" and once more dashed up between the foliage, disappearing into the thick overhanging leaves.

Natsu’s fists tightened as he watched his companion leave his side, frustration growing inside of him. He didn’t _feel_ lost. He felt like he was completely in control of his movements, like he knew this forest as well as the back of his hand, but Happy was right - they had passed that tree three times. Try as he might he couldn’t form a straight line, struggling to focus on the scents and getting nothing but a strange background hum rippling across the air. It echoed around him like a voice echoed in a deep cave, nearly impossible to pinpoint and driving him slowly insane. Every time he felt they were growing closer his footsteps took him yet another step away.

The worst parts of his failure were the Ice Maker’s gritted teeth and equally frustrated jabs.

"I can't _fucking_ believe this," Gray growled, throwing down his shirt and onto the ground. "’ _I know where we're going, Gray! Only pansies like you need maps, Gray! I grew up in the wilderness, Gray!_ ’ HA! Freaking _knew_ you'd get us lost."

With the last dying streaks of sunlight filtering through the treetops, the ice mage could feel his annoyance catering off into the anger category. Day one, ZILCH. Nada. A whole big pile of nothing. All because- "I thought you said you'd be able to track this thing no problem?!" he glared accusingly at the pink-head.

Natsu, already at the edge of his own nerves, jumped forward to defend himself, feeling the angry heat growing around him. "I told you that I can track it, so I'm gonna track it, alright?! If you wanted to use a damn map so much then you should have - except, oh wait! You can’t because you who put it in your damn jacket, which is god knows where!!" he yelled back loudly, his voice carrying high across the treetops and sending birds scattering in all directions.

“Oh don’t worry, I won’t think twice about keeping it if it means I don’t have to listen to you, dumbass!” Gray snapped, teeth lashing and a wrinkle popping over his nose, like a mutt just a few shy barks away from biting. His fingers curled into fists and the ice mage could feel the first hints of cold air lingering on his skin. He got into the Salamander's face, raising his voice just enough to outmatch Natsu's. "So if you're gonna do it, then do it and STOP LEADING US IN GODDAMN CIRCLES!"

Natsu gritted his teeth. The opposing element crackled around him and made his own magic flare spitefully in answer. _'If you're gonna do it just do it'?_ Oh that very much sounded like an invitation if he ever heard one. His fists lifted, ready to accept.

"Oh, don’t worry, I'm gonna-" he began, his fists blurring into a bright red flame.

"Natsuuuuu!"

Suddenly they both stopped, eyes flickering up to the treetops. The sudden squeal from the Exceed was somewhere high above, echoing off into silence. They could see no flicker of blue within the canopy.

Natsu took a staggering step back, staring up for a sign within the leaves. "Happy??"

There was no answer. Even with his heightened senses he could not make out a single movement or sound.

"Happy!!" they both shouted in unison, throwing each other a look of concern.

Mocking and stifling silence. "Shit! What the hell happened?" Gray stepped back, gritting his teeth and looking over the treetops in search of movement or a hint of blue or- or something, damn it! "Natsu, which way?"

A look of determination flooded Natsu’s eyes as he continued to stare into the canopy. Nothing, _nothing!,_ came between a Dragon Slayer and his Exceed. "Up," he said finally, as if it should have been completely obvious. That was the direction that the small cat had gone and it didn't take an expert tracker to know that that was the best direction to try and find him. He'd heard his voice only moments before, and prayed he couldn't have gotten far.

He grabbed onto the nearest tree, intent on climbing. If Happy needed his help then he would do all he could to reach him. He had barely reached the first branches, however, before he heard the familiar chant from his companion.

"Natsu!" Gray called over as just as he gathered his magic power and directed it to the ground, " _Ice-make: Platform_!"

A circle of ice materialized underneath the Ice Maker’s feet, and with a jerk it grew, rising up into the air. The surge was slower at first, and Natsu wasted no time in grabbing onto the platform. He instantly felt uncomfortable. The growing ice was... somewhat like a moving vehicle.

As the Dragon Slayer doubled over the flat surface, it gained speed, breaking through the branches and stopping just above the treetops.

Gray looked around the greenery, but the growing shadows weren’t helping his eyes. A growl thrummed in the base of his throat. "Goddamn it... Happy?!" he yelled, eyes and ears on high-alert for any sign of a response.

Natsu groaned. Telling himself that the ice structure would not move and his stomach had no more reason to flip, he pushed himself up from the cold platform. He sorely wished that he could punch Gray for putting him through that, even if it had just been for a split second. There was no time for that now, however. He had to focus on Happy. He had to make sure that the Happy was safe. “Ha-”

"Natsu!!"

The cat’s voice strangled with terror, vibrating with levels of fear that had both mage’s breaths caught in their throats. They stared in its direction, towards the shadowy and still canopy waiting for-

A sudden flutter of wings broke through and into the night air. Only, they weren’t the wide white wings they had expected. The moon was blotted out by large and powerful wingspan, darker than the night, sharp claws wrapping around the tiny blue creature with every flap.

"Happy!" Natsu called back, eyes pinned against the demonic creature. "Goddamit, it can _fly_!?" he cried out angrily, seeing only a beast that needed to be stopped while it clutched the tiny Exceed in its grasp.

"What the hell," Gray muttered at the disadvantage, feeling the skin on his back tighten in caution as they were being stared down. It had the upper hand. It had flight, formidable size and Happy in its grasp, none of which boded well. Taking a deep breath, the Isvanian straightened up, eyes glaring at the beast as he brought his hands up into his signature stance. "Natsu, get ready. I'm gonna lure it here."

Natsu gave a sharp nod in reply, tightening his fists as he felt the familiar heat of his magic build up. The power of his determination radiated off in pulsing waves, eating away at their cold foothold.

With a flare of the light blue magic circle, ice danced along Gray’s fingers, growing and taking the shape of a bow. " _Ice-make: Arrows_ ," he shouted and pulled a thin, near-invisible line of magic back. A trail of ice followed behind his hand, forming a blunt arrow. Eyes trained sharply onto the monster, the mage bit on the inside of his cheek, aiming along the upper-body area to minimize the risk of hurting Happy.

With a twitch of his fingers, the arrow flew, shattering against the monster's skin before it could move away. The griffin-like creature screeched at an ear-bleeding pitch that made them all wince.

At least they had its attention.

The monster flapped its wings threateningly, once, twice, before diving for them.

It screeched again, the huge flap of the giant black wings creating a gust of wind that threatened to push them back and off the slippery platform. A giant mouth - or beak or whatever it was - glinted like a spear’s edge as it opened wide towards them.

Eyes flickering with anger, Natsu glared back at the beast.

"Natsuuuu," Happy whimpered.

"I've got this!" Natsu yelled loudly, waiting until the very last moment.

He threw himself forward. With an angry roar the Dragon Slayer sailed through the air, meeting his opponent head on. His fists raised in anger, flames erupted beneath his feet giving him both power and terrifying speed as he prepared to attack.

Suddenly the creature swooped upwards. Natsu’s eyes grew wide. With the ground far, far below and his target and best friend climbing higher, he was forced to react quickly. He reached out and instead grasped onto the thick feathers, latching on.

The winged beast craned its neck, staring down at the stowaway with wide black eyes. With an angry huff it spun around in air, beating its wings harder to lose the man that gripped onto its side. When that didn’t work, it flew up higher, and higher, circling wildly and screeching, frustrated while trying and failing to shake off the Dragon Slayer.

Natsu growled in his own anger, and in that anger his hands subconsciously sizzled with fire that caught onto the feathers. The stench of char that followed spread quickly through the air and the shriek from the monster that followed sounded too much like a scream. The bird-hybrid began to trash in the air, violently and desperately. In a moment of panic and blind fury, its priorities changed from predator to prey. The sharp talons snapped open, glinting against the moonlight and the Exceed was dropped.

Survival came first.

Arrow notched, Gray held his weapon steadfast, eyes trained onto the beast and feeling a slight tremor in his arms. Happy may have been freed, but Natsu still held onto the damned thing and he wasn’t getting a clear shot. It would have been pretty stupid to shoot down a thing of that size when it was so high above the ground with his teammate in tow. The risks were endless.

“Fuck,” he hissed out, a bead of sweat going down the side of his face as he tried to figure out what to do. The griffin-like creature was moving too fast, too radical and getting too out of reach for him to make a precise hit. He spared a quick glance towards Happy, waiting for him to fly up and catch Natsu so Gray could take the shot.

Only he didn’t.

A burst of magical wings spluttered into existence-- only to disappear in a poof of smoke. Happy felt the wind hurling past his face. The pressure around him was gone and he opened his eyes to see twigs and leaves coming at him at a frightening speed.

He was free-falling.

“Ahhh-!” the Exceed flailed his paws, breath catching in his throat at the realization that he had no magic power left. He screw-shut his eyes, curling up and forcing every last drop of his magic power out. His wings sputtered in and out of existence the closer he got to the sea of green.

"Happy!!" Natsu shouted out, his attention dropping from his own flight.

With a gasp, the white feathers finally spread open and caught wind, but not quickly enough to stop him from colliding through the foliage. Branches cracked, vines ripped, all under the speed of his small body. He cried out in pain, trying to grab onto something around him to stop the fall, but everything in his way shredded and broke.

At the same time, high up above the canopy, Natsu found himself a similar situation. His attention had been divided and his opponent took full advantage of this. The creature twisted around mid-air in dangerous saumosaults, jerking the Dragon Slayer into finally losing his grasp on the singed feathers.

The sound the monster let out was near victorious, it echoed through the forests as it swooped higher, leaving the mangy human to its fate.

There was no time to curse or shout out as Natsu fell. There was very little he could do to brace himself from the harsh fall, the jagged branches and what awaited him far below.

Gray watched helplessly and wide-eyed on his perch as his teammates disappeared out sight and into the cluster of leaves. The shrill cawing of the monster reminded him of laughter as it ventured off into the distance with each flap of its wings.

For a trembling moment, silence reigned.

Like the world was put on pause and mute.

Everything around him was suddenly too still compared how it had been just seconds earlier. Nothing moved. The echoes of battle disappeared in the distance, leaving this place void like nothing had happened there. Like there was no monster. No fight. Like he hadn’t stood uselessly and just watched Happy and Natsu being hurled in two separate directions. Peaceful. Serene-

"... Shit!" Gray bit out.

Quickly releasing his magic, the pillar and weapon half-sank, half-disintegrated. The whole descend to the ground seemed to take too long, seconds trickled too fast and in sync with his adrenaline driven heart.

‘ _Shit! Fucking shit!’_ the strings of curses seemed never ending in his head. ‘ _I shouldn't have hesitated- I fucking should’ve known-! I should have- Goddamn it!’_

The moment his feet touched the earth Gray took off running.

There were unwritten and unspoken rules that were set in place well before Team Natsu even existed. Rules that were never to be questioned or disregarded. The ice mage took off in the direction where Happy disappeared. Leaving the youngest of them to fend for himself, so soon after what had just taken place, was as wrong as it was unacceptable.

Natsu would never forgive him if Happy got hurt. _He'd_ never forgive himself if he got hurt.

With that drilled into his mind and body, Gray’s eyes roamed the dark overgrowth above and around him.

"Happy!" he hollered, hands pushing at thick bushes and plant-life that got in his way. The woods were far too silent, too dark and cluttered, for him to make out what sounds and shapes were real and which he imagined. "Happy! You hear me?!"

~~ (O) ~~

Happy let out a soft grumble as he rubbed at a sore spot on his body. His wings had beat desperately through the twigs and branches as he fell, leaving a wide round hole in the canopy above. Although they hadn’t been able to catch the wind, they did help in breaking his fall and taking the worst of the impact. That much he had to be grateful for.

He sat up, trying to access the damage. There were multiple superficial scratches against his fur, and thankfully no injuries that needed immediate attention and care. Lucky.

While trying to open his wings fully, however, he found flexing them awkward, requiring a lot more strength than it usually did. Broken twigs and shredded leaves stuck between his feathers and Happy frowned at the sight. He reached out and rocked backwards, trying to pick them out.

And then he slipped.

He gasped, his claws sunk into the bark on instinct as he held on for dear life with all four paws. With a small gulp, he craned his head over the side of his branch, squinting through the darkness to get a better look. He wasn't nearly as close to the ground as he had hoped.

He tried to spread his wings again. They refused. He would need to replenish a good amount of magical energy before he could attempt to fly again. Reluctantly, Happy let them disappear and pouted.

This was what he was reduced to. A cat stuck in a tree.

Suddenly, his ears twitched. He was not alone.

His claws dug into the bark deeper. There was movement somewhere in the undergrowth, harsh rustling along the leaves, branches snapping loudly and conjuring images of huge dark monsters and sharp talons in his mind’s eye. And whatever it was, it was coming closer… Happy felt his fur bristling as he stared through the darkness to the approaching figure. Who... or what... had found him first?

"Natsu...?" he murmured in wavering hope.

A figure stumbled through the dark. Eventually, it stopped and looked up, spotting two small reflective eyes blinking back at him. "There you are," it said in a familiar voice, staring up at the feline.

No, it wasn't Natsu. What’s more, his Dragon Slayer would have never forgiven him if for making the simple mistake. "Gray!" Happy corrected himself.

Both the ice mage and Exceed breathed a sigh of relief. Gray made his way over, feet hindered by unseen tree-roots and shrubbery, and cursing mother-nature silently with every fiber of his being.

From where he stood, Gray could see the Exceed looked a little battered up. His fur was sticking out at odd angles with twigs and leaves that caught on his fall, but other than that, he seemed relatively okay. The adrenaline coursing his veins finally shifted gear and dialed back. "You okay?" he asked, relief evident in his voice as he extended his hands to catch him, "Are you hurt?"

Happy looked down at the distance between him and the Ice Maker below, unsure whether he should trust his judgement and jump. If this had been Natsu, then he wouldn't have hesitated. The Dragon Slayer would have rather broken every bone in his body than see his companion hurt. But Gray? Well, he wasn't quite so convinced.

"I'm OK," Happy said, hesitantly creeping closer to the edge of the branch before taking a deep breath. His claws dug deep into the wood, testing the safety of his lifeline before taking one last look down.

Swallowing his hesitance, he let go and took a leap of faith, successfully landing into the Ice Maker's hands.

He peeled one eye open, and then the other. And only then he breathed out a quick gasp of relief. "I made it!” he cheered, a wide grin on his face as he stared up at Gray, both somehow amazed and surprised by this. “Wait," he frowned, looking around quickly. “Where’s Natsu?”

Gray sighed, partly in relief now that he finally had the Exceed safely in his arms, partly troubled as another issue presented itself. "I don't know," he shook his head, "The monster was all over the place before Natsu let go of it."

Happy looked back at him in that confused and wide-eyed way he tended to have whenever separated from Natsu in less than favorable terms. Gray could already feel the worry gnawing at the little fellow. With another sigh, Gray readjusted his hold on him and he let him to sit atop of his shoulder. "Let's try and find him."

“Aye,” Happy murmured in agreement, curling himself around the side of Gray’s head and keeping his ears pinned up for any signs of their friend.

Looking around and not really managing to orient himself in the dark, the Ice mage pressed his lips tightly for a moment. Every direction looked the same, caked in shadows and thick shrubbery. If there was a silver lining here it would have been that Natsu could hopefully sniff them both out like this. Eventually anyway.

"Come on. Knowing him, he'll probably find us way before we find him," he tried to say comfortingly as they started walking in a random direction. It was as good as chance as any in this darkness.

He just hoped that they would find one another before morning. Or before something else big and angry found them.

~~ (O) ~~ 

Meanwhile, some distance away and spitting out leaves, Natsu was less than impressed. In fact, he was furious.

He had been thrown across the forest, separated from his Exceed, and not only did he have a giant stupid monster to beat up, he now also had to teach _another one_ a lesson about taking an Exceed from their Dragon Slayer!

Of course, all of this was the stupid Ice Princess's fault for encouraging this stupid mission in the first place. No doubt about it.

The Slayer rubbed his shoulder as he stood up and tried to ignore the pain that flared up. As he took his first step, his ankle also ached. With every new movement he had to grit his teeth harder, using the trees around him to push forwards. It didn’t look good, but hell, he wasn't about to be knocked out by a tree. Or gravity. Or some ridiculous stupid bird for that matter. He was limping, dazed and in pain, but he could push past it.

He tried instead to focus on the smells around him and the quickest route to the monster and his friends, but that was proving no easy task. As he’d noticed before, the forest was coated in a strange, oily scent. Though it had been a warm, dry day, the wet and putrid smell lingered all around him which he now recognized as that of the flying beast. It was quite unlike anything he’d ever smelt, reminding him of more of marshlands than lush forests and wide canyons, and thoroughly distracting him from his tracking.

At least now he knew that with this knowledge, mixed with the distinctive smell of burnt feathers, he would easily spot the creature if it returned for round two. He was quickly starting to realize that that may not have been the worst threat of the forest, however. There were many more overlapping scents, all of which had created the dizzying maze that had gotten him lost in the first place, each one with the same musky dampness to it. This place must have been some kind of beast safari that may have even rivaled Edolas.

There were too many questions with this revelation. In a land surrounded by beasts, did the villagers not have their own way of protecting themselves? Were they aware of the threats of the forest before hiring the Fairy Tail mages? Did more than one beast make its way from the canyon? And most importantly, could they use this information to get a larger reward?

He wasn’t going to get any answers standing around, that was for sure. So, latching onto the only familiar scents, Natsu began limping in the direction of his friends.

 


	3. Out of the frying pan...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When belief is not enough, the first whisper of the future sent them down another path. Natsu was never good at keeping secrets, not when they coated Gray's hands in red. [post GMG alternative timeline, slowburn Gratsu]

From the events that had led them there and to their disastrous outcomes, there was only one conclusion the mage and Exceed could come by: their luck was stacked against them. Already they had gotten lost, chasing one monster and finding another one, getting separated, and now the present issue: the forest had been submerged into almost complete and utter darkness.

The cat shivered. There was something about being against the Ice Maker that just wasn't as comforting as usual warmth of the Dragon Slayer. On the bright side, he considered it a bit plus that at least he didn’t have to walk any further. Although he wasn’t injured, he could still feel aches from the fall spontaneously flare on and off, making him unconsciously long for warmth and a solid sense of security. The sooner they got back to Mirfield the better, and he could rub it in Natsu’s face that, yes, they had _definitely_ been walking around in circles.

"Do you think that that was the monster we were looking for?" Happy spoke up, breaking the nocturnal and almost oppressing silence around them.

All of a sudden, Gray’s steps faltered. "Son of a-" he cut himself,  after almost stumbling over another conveniently placed tree-root. Happy's claws dug into the skin of his shoulder and scalp to keep himself from falling off.

"Sorry about that,” Gray said for the hundredth time that night. In his very humble opinion, this was getting fucking ridiculous.

With no guiding fire to help light their way, Gray had to walk slowly, adapting to a pace that he wasn’t used to nor had the patience for. The image of the creature, enraged and screeching, against the backdrop of the night sky was still fresh in his mind. Wings, talons, a gryphin-like shape, nothing similar the silhouette from the picture presented in the job-description.

"No, I don't think it is," he answered eventually, shaking his head. "It had wings. The one we're looking for doesn’t or else Mirfield wouldn’t have a problem. It’d just fly over the houses, wouldn’t it? So... either we were just really unlucky,” he paused briefly, letting the conclusion come naturally. “Or we are getting close to the canyon."

And if it was the latter, that meant that there was a big probability of there being more monsters about, ready to hunt for prey during the night. Which meant that calling out to Natsu wouldn’t be an option. So, either he found them, or they just continued to stumble in the dark and hope they found him before something else did. There was no doubt about it - their hunt was over for today, they needed to find Natsu as fast as possible and shelter or a way back to town. And the best way for the was-

"Hey Happy,” Gray turned his head, “Do you think you could fly up for a second and try to spot in which direction the town is?"

"I don’t know...." the cat murmured under his breath and pulled himself up. Looking up at the treetops and after a short consideration, he shook his head. "I don't have enough magic power to fly..." he admitted, not wanting to point out that he also didn't want to risk being a giant bird's snack once again.

Withholding a sigh or any other unnecessary reaction, Gray simply nodded. "Okay," it only made sense that he was tired. After all, he himself could feel the exhaustion hanging onto his muscles from the day’s long expedition. He set Happy down and took several steps away from him. "Stay here for a second, okay? I'm just gonna have a quick look."

"Ice-make: Platform.”

The array lit under his feet and the creation lurched upwards, sending him up against leaves and thin branches that broke against his skin. A part of him distantly hoped that that brief flash of light wasn’t visible from above the tree foliage. He didn't plan on keeping the spell active, nor himself visible for long. The flying-monster had already been denied a meal, and it would surely be hunting for another one. He could only hope they weren't unlucky enough to have a repeated encounter so soon.

Just as his head broke through the tree-tops, Gray opened his eyes, scanning the vast horizon of trees presented to him.

 _There._ A dim shimmering glow of nightlights in the distance. That... was a long way off. Long, but manageable. The mage chewed on his bottom lip, etching the direction of Mirfield in his head... and then looked around himself.

Truth be told… He had fully expected to see a forest-fire break out somewhere. An explosion suddenly to light up the forest in the distance and see horde of monsters either flying towards or away from that particularly chaotic spot that would have unmistakably marked Natsu's location.

But there was nothing.

And the more he stared, the more nothing changed. Darkness spread around him like an open ocean. The peaceful symphony of crickets and silence reigned the night.

It ate away at him.

With a disappointed sigh, Gray released his magic and the platform begun to sink back down. The closer he got to the ground, the more the ice-wizard could feel the weight of two-wide eyes expectantly staring up at him. He didn't say anything. Instead he picked up the Exceed again and turned into the direction he saw the lights at. "Come on. Mirfield is that way."

Happy sighed as he settled on his shoulder again. "Do you think Natsu will be trying to make his way there too?"

"Well... if we're heading there, then probably, yeah," Gray reasoned, "He can track our scents, so he'd come looking for you."

Curious about the Ice Maker's choice of words, Happy blinked at him several times. "You know that Natsu would be looking for you too, right?"

Before he could reply, or even wonder himself why he said what he did, a soft growl rumbled into his ear. Gray smiled softly at the noise of Happy’s unruly stomach. "I know. Now, let’s get going. I’m getting hungry too," he said, taking the first few steps-

“… That... wasn’t me.”

And Gray stopped in his tracks.

He craned his head just enough to meet Happy’s wide and concerned gaze when the realization came to him.

Happy sat on his right.

The noise came from the left.

A rumble, low and drawn out.

Breath stilling, Gray turned and stared at the scattered shadows, searching them with cautious eyes. The unnerving noise grew closer, breathing adrenaline into his veins like one breathed into embers to start a fire. The scarce bits of moonlight caught two shimmers in the darkness in front of them, hungry and eager, followed by the unmistakable sound of a twig snapping.

"Happy," the mage whispered, voice hushed but words urgent, "Hold on, or fly up."

Happy peered over from the Ice Maker's side and the growl increased in volume. The creature was moving closer, taking measured steps of a predator cornering its prey. Gray’s fingers twitched, ready to summon something that was sure to scare off the animal-

But then another growl joined it, subdued and dangerous, rustling on his right. Before he could so much as turn and confirm his suspicion he heard another one, from the left, two from behind, another one from the right. _A wolf pack_ , he realized with growing dread, closing in on them and finally close enough to see that those weren’t regular animals.

The creatures stood around them, much bigger than an average canine. The fur around their heads was thick and rich, almost like a lion’s mane. A weird dotted pattern went along their sides, showing that their fur had some color scheme to it, one that couldn’t be made out in the darkness.

Gray stared down closest one, the most eager of them to jump and sink its teeth into them. His muscles quivered in mutual anticipation, he held the orange-eyed gaze with his own glare as he summoned magic power to the tips of his fingers. For a short moment, they all stood still, as if waiting to see who’d make the first move in this showdown. The whole circle sang with primal intent for violence, growing tenser and louder until the inevitable.

The first creature jumped.

Gray’s heart leapt into his throat and muscle instinct took over, he grabbed Happy, pulling him close to and tucking him close to his chest as he jumped into a roll.

"Ice-make: Lance," he sneered mid roll, showing off his own teeth as he brought a single hand down onto the grass. The ice-creations sailed through the air and impaled the first creature, knocking it back.

An enraged snarl suddenly erupted from his side, way closer and way faster than he expected. He turned, barely in time to see the second pair of jaws before they opened, ready to clamp down. It was a split second decision, made by an instinct that’s been honed over the years for close calls, eyes widening, Gray dropped Happy and held up his forearm. Before the teeth could sink in, a thick layer of ice encased his arm and kept them at bay.

The ice chipped upon impact, surprising the monster but not deterring it from biting harder. Gray held on, pushing back and holding them at a standstill until the wolf pulled its head back, shaking it violently. With every jerk, Gray could feel his balance slipping, his footing shifting, his knees giving way, and that was all it needed to give one push and knock the mage backwards.

“Urgh!” he grunted with effort as he back hit the ground, still keeping his forearm up.

“Gray!” Happy exclaimed, not sure what to do. There was no time to react. The beast was on top of him, a sharp paw pressing down on his chest while the jaws continuing to press tighter around his arm like a bear-trap, tighter- tighter- until the ice started to crack underneath its teeth, coming close too to the flesh under-

“Hey!!”

Gray’s eyes widened-

“Chew on this ya bastard!!”

With one fiery blow, the creature was thrown back, its growl turning into a high pitched yelp, the smell of singed fur filled the air. Last second before the impact, it extended its claws, digging into the ice mage’s skin and ripping it.

"Argh!" Gray grunted, feeling the burn of ripped flesh across his torso. "Fuck-!" he bit out, hand on chest and curling over.

"Natsu!!" Happy cried out, smiling widely as the pinkhead landed on his feet.

"Happy!" Natsu yelled back, a beaming grin across his face with absolutely no acknowledgement to the Ice Maker he just saved, only to find their attention once again taken by a huge snarl. Between the pack of monsters, a single booming roar drew everyone’s attention. The earth quaked. That... was never a good sign. Gray's head darted up, staring at the shadowed creature looming over them, pinning them under its irises. Another monster had entered the battle, the same species as the other ones only this one was far bigger. A pack leader.

"Alright, I'm all fired up now," Natsu announced, a flaming fist against the palm of his hand as he glared down the new opponent.

"Fucking hell-" Gray muttered, the light from Natsu's flame and his voice urged him to his feet despite the fresh bleeding wound. "Bout time, you showed up," he said to the slayer, feeling his remaining magic power and planning on how to use it efficiently.

Natsu glared back at the 'Happy-thief', choosing for once in his life to take the moral high ground and concentrate on the enemy in front of him rather than his rivalry against the ice maker. That would wait.

He jumped forwards, a battle cry erupting as he pounded against the fierce creature in front of him, ignoring all of the smaller wolves that were keeping their sights on the other mage. Happy was back against his back, once again taking his side and guiding his fevered steps as the unbeatable team. He brought his fist down against the creature's head, but with one sweeping lost paw he was thrown backwards, suddenly remembering his injuries he lost his balance and slammed into the nearest tree.

"What the hell is up with this place, anyway?!" he yelled loudly, bracing himself and looking around, seeing nothing but monster's eyes gleaming back to him.

"Ice-Make: Hammer!"

The area around them lit up for a moment and the ice-creation fell onto the beast's head, bringing it down with an almost comical-yelp.

The hit didn't keep it down long and before Gray could form any real strategy or plan, it got up, snarling so deep that it looked like the perfect depiction of rage. The smaller beasts joined in, lips pulling back and growling, head and ears bent.

"Doesn't matter now! Get up!" He yelled to the slayer, eyes trained onto the beast and two of its pack-members ganging up on him.

The sting on his chest dulled with the adrenaline rush. These creatures weren't backing down. If they wanted to go all out- well, Gray was never the one to disappoint. He felt a surge of something within his chest. Something carnal and angry. Something that had been wound up too tight ever since the games. Something that was only aimed at enemies.

The ice on his forearm grew, slithering down and shaping itself into a pointed-blade.

"Bring it, mutt," he spat.

There was no way that Natsu would remain grounded when Gray was on his feet. The Dragon Slayer gritted his teeth, pulling himself off the ground with his eyes pinned upon the enemies. Everything hurt more than it should have, these monsters were weak but damn there were a lot of them. He had never known an area to be swarming with quite so many beasts and creatures that all seemed intent on their blood.

Both sides charged.

~~ (O) ~~

Eventually, one by one the wolves were brought down, the one that remained ran away with their tails dipped between their legs, yipping and whimpering as they disappeared away from the fallen alpha. Natsu could still feel the adrenaline running through his veins as he stared triumphantly at their unconscious beast, only then remembering that this wasn't even the beast they were getting paid to hunt.

There was another one, one that was much bigger and even more elusive than the ones before.

He blinked, staring at the silence across the forest as he leaned back, only now starting to feel the slow return of pain from his fall. "Is that all of them?" he asked, clutching his shoulder.

Chest heaving up and down, Gray's eyes remained on the patch of blood-stained grass. The ice fell away from his arm, scattering into magical particles and disappearing into nothing. The adrenaline was slowly but surely wearing off him as well. The prickling on his chest was igniting with each expand of his greedy lungs, the muscles in his arms and legs felt more like walking-weights than flesh.

"Better be," he muttered, wiping a mix of sweat and beast-blood from his cheek with the back of his hand. He wasn't sure if he had the magic power for another pack of monsters trying their hand at a quick meal. They needed to get to a safe-place, to be precise, back to Mirfield. "Hey, any idea in which direction-," he stopped short when he looked at the slayer, at the awkward way he stood and the hand of his shoulder. He frowned, eyes narrowing as he did so, "What's wrong with your shoulder?"

"Its fine," the mage grumbled angrily. He was stubborn at the best of times, and that was certainly no exception when speaking to his rival. But now? Now he was all kinds of incredibly annoyed. The pinkhead pulled up his sleeve, half-walking half-stumbling forwards as he passed the unconscious bodies of the defeated monsters. "So far we've been attacked by flying creatures, dropped a hundred feet down, attacked by wolf creature things-!"

"Walked around in circles?" Happy added generously.

Natsu glared, not appreciating the amendment. "And we STILL haven't found that stupid monster on that stupid poster!" he raged. "I'm not leaving this goddamn forest until we find that bastard!"

Gray couldn't help the sigh that escaped him. Leave to Natsu to still have the energy to stubbornly rage after the day they've just had. This wasn't going to be an easily won argument. He could tell. And Gray didn't really have it in him to argue, not now. He chalked up this feeling streaming through him to blood-loss and exhaustion. Nothing more, nothing else. The gashes on his torso were making him a little light-headed.

So instead of arguing, and maybe against his better judgement, Gray reached over and squeezed the shoulder the Slayer previously held. The reaction was instant. Natsu yelped out in pain. It only lasted a second but it was less than what Elfman might have considered 'manly'.

"Yes, you are," Gray said, "None of us are in any shape to find that thing now and face it head on."

Natsu jumped back instantly, glaring at the Ice Maker with a look that could kill as he tightened his own fist. "What the hell is your problem, you violent freak?!" he yelled at him, just as he too made the most of Gray's injuries and threw a punch straight to Gray's chest.

The punch shouldn't have hurt as much as it did, but pain bit at his torso, making the dark haired mage stagger back and bend over. Shit- he could feel the raw tore-skin stretch, threatening to bleed more.

But more so than the pain of the injury, Gray couldn’t believe that guy. Was he... Was he fucking kidding him? Was he really this-?!

"You know what the problem is," he grit out and looked up, eyes gleaming in controlled anger, "So. stop. being. stupid!"

There was a moment of silent realization on his part, that he _didn’t_ want to do this. Didn't want to go down the same old dance routine of hurling insults and punches. But as it stood, Natsu could bring out the worst (and in some cases the best) of him and they'd be spiraling down the same patterns with no way of stopping. And Gray... He was just tired. The kind of tired that wasn't set in bones or quivering muscles.

"Can you just-..." With a jerk of his head, Gray sighed and met Natsu's eyes straight on, "Can you just not fight me on this?"

Natsu stopped. Because Gray had stopped. His fist was still clenched, he was still ready for a fight, but suddenly the anger inside of him wasn't the playful rivalry between two childhood friends. He was in pain and he could see the pain in his friend's eyes, more than he understood. And that was what made him angrier more than anything, because he didn't _understand_ and like a stubborn fool he couldn't just ask. He couldn't just turn around and ask 'are you alright?' or 'do you need a hand?' or 'I'm here for you'. Because he knew that there was something not right and instead his reaction was to punch him right where it hurt. That was why he was angry, angry at himself and unsure what to do with it.

"What the hell is your problem?!" he asked, his teeth gritted and his eyes unusually serious as he stared the Ice Maker down. The words that he had wanted to ask for weeks without an opening finally came out in the wrong way, giving them a hostile meaning.

Something stirred in Gray’s chest at the hostile reply, cold and violent, too unclear and growing, feeding on his disappointment or anger, he wasn’t sure which he was feeling. His mouth hung open for a moment before he managed to wring out the words.

"My problem...?" His heartbeat was picking up, fast and hard beats that pushed against his ribcage. "How about the fact that your shoulder and ankle are fucked up, Happy is running on empty, I'm missing 3/4 of my blood and magic, we're lost, exhausted and there's a gazillion monsters HUNTING around us, do I need to go on?!"

His fists were painfully clenched and he couldn't help the icy glare he leveled Natsu with. "And you want to go looking for that thing?"

Natsu blinked, caught off guard by the answer. It wasn't that unusual to see Gray mad, but there was a teeny part of Natsu's brain imagining the Ice Maker with smoke coming out of his ears and that just made it incredibly difficult to take him seriously right now.

He shrugged and scratched the back of his head awkwardly, instantly feeling the pain as he did so and deciding instead that he would refrain from moving in that particular way. "Chill, dude. There's a village about half a mile out," he said, pointing with his thumb towards the complete opposite direction that Gray and Happy had seen the light lacrima and were heading to.

Maybe if the ice mage hadn’t retreated far too back into himself he would have found it weird or take notice, but all Gray heard was 'Village. That way.'

He was still glaring at the Salamander, gaze hard and piercing and he wasn't really sure anymore what he was searching for within his clueless expression. Lips pressed into a firm line, he looked away, a low scoffing noise escaping under his breath.

"Let's go," he marched past the slayer.

He couldn't help the lethal dose of angry neutrality that washed over him. He didn't care to fight it, he wanted it. At that moment, he didn't care that Natsu didn't realize he was being stupid. He didn't care that he was several paces ahead of them. Didn't care that they couldn't catch up. And surely didn't care that this display was sure to come back and bite him in the ass.

Natsu folded his arms across his chest angrily, which again hurt like hell so he dropped them back down and just settled to glare back at the Ice Maker as he stormed past. He was being moody again which was just _perfect_. Natsu gave a meaningful glare at Happy who only shrugged apologetically, silently trying to keep the Dragon Slayer patient, even if it was a well-known fact that he didn’t have any. The entire mission was a mistake, teaming up with Gray was a mistake and now all he wanted to do was beat up the monster- the right monster, and go home.

"Hey asshole!” Natsu called after him, realizing that if the blood really was coming from the Ice Maker himself and not from the wolves or birds or whatever they'd fought then he was only going to make himself in worse shape, and probably moodier, by losing even more blood. “Stop forgetting to close your damn wounds for once, will ya?!" he yelled, starting to follow after.


End file.
